Memories and bullet holes

[Deleted]

Let's start with the bullet holes. I had a blast (no pun intended) trying out "quiet ammo" this afternoon at the Prentice Cooper Shooting Range with two friends. We were all quite surprised at just how quiet the Aguila Colibri .22 Long ammo was. Several other shooters we didn't know came over to see what I was shooting. We made lots of holes. The Winchester brand of quiet ammo was lousy. Several misfires, and not one single case would eject from the pistol - and that's when I was manually pulling the slide back. I'd already been warned that the quiet ammo was too weak to operate the action on a semi-auto, so I knew I'd have to shoot each cartridge as a single-shot weapon, loading each one manually. The cartridges just popped out of the magazine because they are shorter than the .22 LR.



Now for the memories. Back in the dark ages, I owned (among others) the following bikes: Honda 150, Honda 250 Scrambler (CL72), and two CB160s. Lo and behold, each of these types of bikes is on display at Honda of Chattanooga on Highway 58 except that the scrambler on display is the 305cc (CL77) version, but it looks identical to the 250. I paid AHLOT less for my bikes than they're priced at today.

Honda CA95 (150cc) Dream


I paid $300 in 1966.


I had a black CB160 and a red CB160 like this one.


but I don't remember how much I paid. I recall a highschool buddy paying $695 for a new one.


I had a scrambler that looks just like this one except mine was a 250 but this one is a 305.




This one is a real beauty, especially with the mileage.


Gasp! I'd traded my 150 and $50 for my scrambler, but look at the price now!


Ah, memories, sweet memories.

Honda of Chattanooga didn't have the bike I had longest, a CB77 (305 Superhawk, black).

[ScarlettP]

Nice Bikes.

Like cats, they are nice as long as they belong to someone else. I don't want one. They kind of scare me. But I still think they are beautiful to look at.

[Warkitty]

I had a CB250 for a while. It wasn't as old as these, '83 or '84 model. It was the only year they made them with a belt drive instead of chain, and I had no end of trouble if I called on any service center other than the one in Murfreesboro. All the reps would look on the computer and it wouldn't specify that year was belt driven, so they'd all argue that I somehow mistook the broken belt I would be holding in my hand, that it somehow was actually a chain. Since it was my only means of transportation I had no way of loading the bike up and taking it to each and every one of them to prove the point. I got in the habit of getting a spare belt from the Murfreesboro shop (the lady running their parts department was incredibly knowledgeable. She looked it up on the computer, grunted, said "damn programmers forgot that year was belt drive" and got me the part without my having to even go into the discussion).

Anyway, great bike. I have other stories about that bike. How it's the only bike I ever had that got damaged by a blackhawk helicopter, and how I was crazy enough to take a motorcycle with a top speed of 70mph on the interstate and ride it from Nashville to Louisville... but y'all probably don't want to hear all that.

[Jay]

Oct 13, 2009 6:42:37 GMT -5 Warkitty said:

I have other stories about that bike. How it's the only bike I ever had that got damaged by a blackhawk helicopter

~~~~~

but y'all probably don't want to hear all that.

Yes, we do!

[Deleted]

What Jay said.

[Warkitty]

Back in my wilder youth I went through a series of motorcycles for transportation. The CB250 was the last before I managed to get a car again. I also, in those days, worked temporary assignments for Manpower. One of those temporary assignments was for the emergency services in the billing department. You know, where they bill for ambulance rides. Of course, that's attached to the emergency response building with all the ambulances and... a helicopter pad in the back. Apparently, this was also where the helicopters from Clarkesville would land in emergency cases. Sometimes they'd come in for no reason whatsoever, just to practice landing there I suppose.

Now, a CB250 is a very light bike, but on the center stand it tended to be quite stable. Not in the extreme wind caused by a landing Blackhawk though. Especially when it's landing so close that the blades are only clearing it by about 30'. I heard the 'chopper coming, and started running for the door with "my bike!" on my mind, only to see it crash down to the ground in the wind. I was picking it up as the men disembarked. They all waved merrily at me as I wheeled it around the building and away from the wind. It had a broken sideview mirror and a dent in the gas tank from that sideview mirror.

See? It's not like I was racing the helicopter... Now, the SEMI I raced... well I won if "getting out of the lane the semi was taking before the backdraft sucked me under it's wheels" counts as "winning." Again, light bike. I think I squeezed 80mph out of it somehow.

[Jay]

Wow... Pretty wild!!

Oct 13, 2009 16:14:47 GMT -5 Warkitty said:

well I won if "getting out of the lane the semi was taking before the backdraft sucked me under it's wheels" counts as "winning." Again, light bike. I think I squeezed 80mph out of it somehow.

Yup! I would definitely count that as 'winning!'

[daworm]

My grandfather had one of the early 150cc Hondas as well. Sat outside under a top, was fired up maybe once a year and ridden around for maybe half an hour. I think he finally sold it, or it moved to the shed and was sold when he died. Wish it was still around (not nearly as much as I wish my grandfather were still around).

[Deleted]

I recall the 150 as being a very comfortable, enjoyable bike to ride, but it just didn't have quite enough oomph. It seems like 55 mph was about its limit.

Oh, about the bullet holes. There's no good, discernible pattern, and I attribute that to shooting five different kinds of .22 ammo - five different muzzle velocities ranging from 300 to 1600 fps.

[Justin Thyme]

55mph was the top comfortable speed for the 150 although you could coax 70 out of it with it properly tuned and rider not exceeding 130lbs. The 125 I had was capable of 62 miles per hour but it wasn't comfortable over 50.